Set in Stone
By Thalia Drogna, based on a synopsis from Softyfluff
AN: Thanks to everyone for reviewing so far. Softyfluff and I are feeling all warm and fuzzy because of it.
Chapter 4
Trip dashed towards the launch bay, hoping to catch up with T'Pol before she joined the away team. He really was playing to his irrational fears now. The dreams had definitely got to him, and he knew he was being foolish but he couldn't help it. Everything about this mission seemed to be going wrong and now his second in Command was badly injured. He'd never really been superstitious or believed in bad luck, but it didn't bode well for their first contact with the Thackerites.
He saw her a little way ahead of him along the corridor. "T'Pol!"
T'Pol stopped her brisk walk and waited for Trip to catch up. "Can I do something for you, Commander?"
Trip stopped beside T'Pol and tried to catch his breath. "This is going to sound really dumb, but I've been having these really strange dreams."
T'Pol was looking at him with an icy expression and he was pretty sure that she was wondering why he was wasting her time with this. "How does this relate to our mission to Thacker?"
"I don't know," replied Trip, honestly. He was wondering why he had even mentioned the dreams, something like that was guaranteed to make T'Pol think he was nuts. The dream seemed important though, he just couldn't think why. "Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but I know one thing, something feels really wrong about this mission. I don't think you should go."
"You have been under considerable stress recently, perhaps this is colouring how you think about this mission," said T'Pol.
"Things have been busy lately, and I know I'm tired, but that isn't why I'm asking you to stay here. I know me having strange dreams isn't exactly a normal reason for you to stay behind, but you've got to believe me when I tell you that I'm not making this up. I have a really bad feeling about these Thackerites."
"We have no evidence that there is any danger and the Captain requires my help with the diplomatic side of the mission." T'Pol began walking again.
"Don't you think it's weird that they isolate themselves for all this time and then they suddenly call us up and invite us to visit?"
"It is possible that they have simply changed their policy in relation to alien contact. We have discussed this already. If you still have reservations then you should talk to the Captain."
Trip shook his head. "He's way past listening to me. He's trying to prove something and it'll take more than a bad feeling to get him to change his mind. Look, just find an excuse to stay here. At least if there's any trouble you and the Captain won't both be away from the ship. Say you don't feel well or something."
Trip was telling himself that he was doing the sensible thing by trying to get T'Pol to stay. They needed either the Captain or the First Officer on board if something was going to go wrong. He told himself that it had nothing to do with any feelings that he might have or have had in the past for T'Pol. He wasn't trying to keep her safe, he was doing this for Enterprise.
"The Captain has assigned me to the away team and I am uncomfortable lying to him, or cancelling the mission without good cause."
"T'Pol, this is important," said Trip.
"But you cannot give me a good reason why I should not accompany the away team."
Trip sighed. "No, I guess I can't."
"Then this discussion is closed," said T'Pol, sounding just a little impatient. "I will see you when we return."
T'Pol strode away towards the launch bay and Trip was left standing alone in the empty corridor. He wondered if T'Pol knew that he was trying to protect her and if she'd actually be more angry with him if she did. He doubted that she'd be very happy at the idea of his chivalry. He knew as well as anyone that she could take care of herself and had an independent streak a mile wide. She could be infuriating, annoying and downright rude at times, but he still worried about her. He kept on thinking that if he told himself enough times that he didn't love her, then maybe he'd eventually start believing it. So far that didn't seem to be happening any time soon.
The away team to the surface consisted of Archer, T'Pol and Reed, from the senior staff. Archer had thought about inviting Trip along as well, but with Hess in sickbay, Engineering was even busier than before, if that was even possible. Archer also had no wish to confront Trip about their recent argument. He had decided that they probably both needed a little time to cool off and given the sensitivity of the mission they really didn't need any more visible disagreements. For similar reasons, Archer would only allow Reed to take two of the MACOs with them, saying that too much security would offend their hosts before they even started negotiations. Reed certainly didn't agree with his Captain, but of course had no choice except to follow orders.
Thacker was a rocky planet without may areas suitable for landing a shuttlepod. The away team were given co-ordinates at a designated landing pad near the capital city. The capital seemed to be one of the areas that the Thackerites were particularly proud of and they were anxious to show their visitors around.
The Thackrites themselves had tough grey skin, mottled with darker grey patches. Their features were very human looking, eyes, nose and mouth all in the expected places. The only things which really made them seem different were the black scales that covered their shoulders and ran in a line down their arms, giving them the appearance of an intelligent armadillo. Archer couldn't help thinking that Phlox would have been fascinated by the evolutionary journey behind this species.
They were met by one of the high ranking Thackerite officials. The Thackerites were ruled by a council of officials who were each chosen for their areas of expertise. The council members had a term of office of several years before their successor was chosen, normally by a general vote of the people, although some of the council members were appointed by their peers. None of the council members really included trading with aliens in their remit, so it had been decided to send the Council Member for the Economy as the closest they could get.
"My name is Targer," said the Council Member for the Economy. "I am… pleased… to meet you all."
"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer, this is my First Officer, T'Pol, and my Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Reed." Archer indicated each officer in turn.
"Really, a Vulcan, how…interesting," said Targer.
Archer couldn't help but pick up the distaste in Targer's tone. Obviously he didn't like the Vulcans very much. In fact Archer got the impression that Targer wasn't exactly pleased to see anyone, which was a little peculiar since they were here at the Thackerites' request.
"I thought that we could start with the tour of the city and then go to observe one of our mines in action. I expect you are anxious to get on with our business quickly," said Targer.
"There's no rush, Council Member Targer," said Archer. "We have come to make new friends as well open trade negotiations between our two peoples. I'm hoping we can build a lasting alliance here."
"Well, we will see about that. Please come this way," said Targer.
Again Archer detected something frosty about the official's tone. Perhaps not all of the Thackerites had been willing to break their self-imposed isolation. This mission looked as if it might be tougher than it had originally seemed.
They were taken around the city and shown all the wondrous sights that the Capital had to offer. Targer was glued to their side the during the whole tour, not letting the Enterprise representatives out of his sight for a moment. Everywhere they went the Thackerites had come out to welcome them, small children holding up banners in alien script and waving Starfleet emblem flags, all accompanied with loud cheering. They were shown around the power plant, the public gardens, the museum, the Council chambers and, finally, the university. The city and surrounding area were heavily industrialised and it seemed that everywhere they looked were grey buildings populated by grey aliens.
It was obvious that Targer was very proud of the city and all their achievements, however their level of technology didn't seem to be that much more advanced than their own. It was definitely different and Archer had no doubt that Trip would have fallen over himself to get a closer look at exactly how the power plant produced its energy, but it wasn't particularly ground breaking.
When they were finished with their tour of the capital, Targer left them briefly to arrange transport to the mines.
"Did you notice something strange about the people who came out to welcome us?" asked Reed, as soon as they were alone.
"Nothing particularly. They seemed very pleased to see us," said Archer. "Why?"
"I'm sure that I saw the same people in the crowd," said Reed.
T'Pol nodded. "I noticed the same banner on display at two separate locations."
"I expect it's just a few people decided to follow us. We're probably the first aliens that they've ever seen," said Archer.
"No, I mean the whole crowd were the same people. I don't think this was a spontaneous demonstration of how pleased they are to see us. I think it's all been laid on for our benefit." Reed kept his voice low but his tone was urgent.
"I'm sure that they're just trying to make sure that we feel welcome. Maybe the Thackerites don't go in for spontaneous displays of appreciation," said Archer.
"Or they are not as pleased to see us as they are pretending to be," said T'Pol.
"I keep getting the feeling that they're hiding something," said Reed.
"T'Pol, you're always telling us that we should respect cultural differences. This could just be that."
"Perhaps," T'Pol agreed grudgingly. Reed didn't look as if he believed a word of it.
"Captain," said Targer, returning from his errand, "the transport to the mines is now ready. Please follow me."
They followed their guide to a large hover vehicle that was waiting for them and left the capital behind. They moved through rocky terrain to the closest and largest of the mines which was only a few minutes journey away. Targer explained as they travelled that mining was the most important industry on Thacker and a lot of investment had been made in the infrastructure of the mines.
The city had been open and spotlessly clean, the mines were the exact opposite. Every surface was covered with a fine layer of pinkish red dust, the same colour as the rocks around them.
"We mine tons of ore every day from these mines," explained Targer and went on to list the various commodities that the Thackerites mined for across the planet. "This mine has a particularly rich seam of dilithium."
"Dilithium crystals?" asked Archer. They were always interested in new sources of dilithium to run the warp engines of the latest class of ships that were now being built.
"Yes, we haul the raw crystals to the refinery near the capital. The processed crystals are used in our power plants and homes for various functions. Let me take you further into the mine and show you how they are extracted."
The Enterprise group followed the, now enthusiastic, Targer further into the mine, passing workers in protective gear as they moved further in. Targer stopped them and handed out face masks and hard hats before they proceeded to the working face of the mine, far underground.
"We have several mining machines that remove the crystals from the bed rock," said Targer, as they came around the corner into one of the main chambers. The sight that greeted their eyes was of a huge mining machine, bigger than any type of machinery that Archer had ever seen before. He estimated it to be at least three floors high and it was obviously well used, with numerous scratches and dents in its dark metal surface. It was also covered in the same layer of dust that pervaded the whole mine. Archer couldn't exactly tell how, but it seemed to be making inroads into the rock face and kicking up large amounts of red dust in the process. There was then various conveyor belts that took whatever was being mined out of the innards of the machine and away to other areas of the mine, but these looked as if they were a later addition to the machine.
"Each of these machines not only removes the rock from the face, but also removes the crystal from the rock and tests the crystals for viability. It then divides up the remaining rock into any useful components and sorts them for us. Unfortunately we are currently running the mine with only one of our three mining machines working. As you can see, these machines are very old and run almost constantly day and night, ten days a week. We are having difficulties repairing the two others and if this one also breaks down it could effect the economy disastrously."
"I could ask my Chief Engineer to take a look at them for you. He's never met an engine that he couldn't fix and he's had plenty of experience working on non-human technology," said Archer.
"At this point we would be willing to try anything to get the other two machines up and running," said Targer. "We would be very pleased to see your Chief Engineer."
"I'll contact Enterprise and ask them to send him down as soon as possible," said Archer. He missed the look of worry which passed between Reed and T'Pol. Trip's workload had just been increased again, without even consulting him. Archer, meanwhile, continued chatting to Targer about the dilithium mining operation and Earth's interest in purchasing any surplus that they had.
Trip missed T'Pol, and he hated himself for it. She'd been gone from the ship for less than a day and he was already worrying and hoping that she'd be back soon. It was one of the most bizarre situations to be in because when T'Pol was on board he was avoiding her. They hardly spoke at the moment, and when they did speak it invariably ended in an argument. Not the kind of argument that he used to enjoy either, these had taken on a bitter edge. They didn't mention T'Pol's wedding or subsequent divorce, but it was a constant tension between them.
Enterprise felt different when T'Pol wasn't on board, and he found himself daydreaming about her on the planet, or at least how his imagination saw her on the planet. Thacker had none of Vulcan's stark beauty, but it seemed to be similar in a lot of ways. It had low rainfall and rocky terrain, although no fire plains. Thacker's geology was rather more settled and less explosive.
Trip was stuck on Enterprise for the time being and had enough to do without daydreaming about T'Pol and how she was getting on down on the surface. The nightmares of the dark caves and glowing children (he'd upgraded them from dreams) were still plaguing him and he was surviving on about two hours sleep a night. He could really have done with some Vulcan neuropressure at the moment, but he guessed that was definitely out, even if T'Pol had been available.
"Bridge to Engineering," the com sounded.
"Tucker here, go ahead," replied Trip.
"Sir, the Captain has asked you to join the away team on the surface. The Thackerites have some mining machines that the Captain thinks we might be able to help them repair."
Trip closed his eyes for just a moment and took a deep breath before he replied. "Okay, Hoshi, just let me get my tools together and I'll take Shuttlepod Two down to the surface. I'll leave Ensign Jackson in charge down here."
"Yes, sir," replied Hoshi. "Bridge out."
Trip sighed and looked around Engineering for Ensign Jackson. He didn't particularly want to leave the young Ensign in charge but he was the highest ranking officer available. He finally spotted who he was looking for tucked under the main engineering console.
"David, I've got to go down to the surface. You're in charge until I get back," said Trip, crouching down beside the Ensign.
Ensign Jackson's eyes widened. "Me, sir?"
"Don't get all excited, it'll probably just be for a few hours and then I'll be back to take over again. The schedule of repairs is all worked out, and even this short staffed, you shouldn't have any problems. I expect the injectors to be online by the time I get back. If there's anything urgent, get Hoshi to put you through to me down on the planet. I mean that, don't go thinking you can handle stuff you wouldn't normally."
"Understood, sir," replied Ensign Jackson.
"I'd like to find my engine is one piece when I get back too," added Trip.
"Yes, sir," said Jackson, slightly worriedly.
"That was a joke, Ensign," added Trip, since his subordinate was clearly taking things seriously.
"Of course, sir."
Trip got up from crouching down by the console, shaking his head. His remaining staff were far too inexperienced to be left alone, but what choice did he have at the moment. He grabbed his tool kit and headed out of Engineering, but not towards the launch bay, he still had one other errand to perform before he left Enterprise. He made his way down to sickbay.
He stepped through the double doors apprehensively. Phlox had called him earlier to let him know that Lieutenant Hess was out of immediate danger but she was still seriously injured, in Enterprise's equivalent of intensive care.
Phlox saw Commander Tucker enter and immediately went over to him. The doctor would know why he was here. Phlox had realised early on in Enterprise's mission that the Commander took the safety of his crew very seriously and was genuinely concerned when they were injured or ill. He'd already been by on several occasions to visit sick crewmembers who were suffering from the Tauran flu, so much so that it was a wonder that he hadn't caught it himself yet. Phlox was beginning to suspect a natural immunity on the part of those members of the Engineering staff who hadn't come down with the flu yet. He'd already asked Trip to come in for testing when he had a moment, but he was well aware of the pressures on the Engineering team at the moment and the tests could wait.
"How's she doing, Doc?" Trip asked.
"About as well as can be expected," replied Phlox.
"Has she woken up yet?"
"No, but that's not unusual given the injuries that she sustained. It's also probably for the best given the extensive burns to her upper body."
Trip nodded. He'd had his fair share of bad burns in his time and knew they hurt like a son of bitch. Pain medication could only do so much without sending you to la la land, and drug induced fuzziness wasn't something Trip ever enjoyed. Hess was better off sleeping through the worst of it.
"The Captain's asked me to go down to the surface and look at some mining equipment, but I want you to let me know if there's any change."
"Of course, Commander. I hope you will be getting some rest in your own quarters once you're back on board," said Phlox, adding the last comment pointedly. "Engineering is not the best place to get an uninterrupted night's sleep."
"Believe me, Doc, no one wants to get an uninterrupted night of sleep more than me, but it'll have to wait until at least the basic repairs are complete."
"Well at least you are getting some sleep," said Phlox.
"I'll catch you later, Doc," said Trip, eager to leave before Phlox decided that the sleep he was getting wasn't enough.
Of course the doctor didn't know about the strange dreams that he'd been having, and Trip aimed to keep it that way. He knew Phlox'd have a field day if he found out how regular and similar the dreams were. Probably dreaming about caves indicated something about his psyche that Phlox would really enjoy getting to the bottom of. He really didn't have time for psychoanalysis at the moment, on top of everything else.
Trip took the shuttlepod down to the surface of Thacker and was given coordinates to land near the mine. He was met by the Enterprise landing party and some of the Thackerites. He stepped out of the shuttle into dry heat and bright sunlight.
"Hi Trip," said Archer in greeting.
"Sir," replied Trip, formally. He certainly wasn't going to pretend that everything was okay between them when it wasn't.
"This is Targer, our liaison with the Thackerite government, and this is Krale, the mine foreman," said Archer, indicating each of the Thackerites as he introduced them.
"Nice to meet you. So where's this machine you want me to look at?" Trip asked. He was determined to get this done as quickly as possible so that he could get back to Enterprise.
"This way," said Krale.
Everyone followed the foreman towards the mines. Reed fell in beside Trip, while Archer and T'Pol talked to Targer.
"Any news on Lieutenant Hess?" asked Reed, keeping his voice low.
"The Doc says she's stable but can't say much more than that. She was pretty badly burned. I guess we just have to wait."
Reed nodded. "Look, tread carefully with these people. I don't trust them."
"You don't trust anyone," replied Trip.
"This time there's a good reason. There's something strange going on here."
Reed didn't get a chance to elaborate further as they had reached the mine mouth and there was protective gear to be put on. After that Krale wanted to talk to Trip and Reed found that he only understood every second word of their conversation, which had quickly moved beyond his engineering knowledge. Reed moved away from the main group to have a look around the mine entrance while the others talked. He knew that people considered him to be paranoid, but nothing felt right here and he wanted to get a better feel for the lie of the land. There wasn't much to see, mainly rock and more rock, and he didn't want to wander too far. He kept an ear tuned into the sound of conversation behind him, he had learnt that the cessation of talking was as good an indicator of trouble as raised voices.
He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him and noticed that Trip had stopped abruptly in his tracks. The engineer appeared to be staring ahead of him into the mouth of the mine. Reed didn't think that anyone else had spotted Trip's unusual reaction, except perhaps T'Pol who was also now looking in his direction. Reed moved back towards the main party, casually ending up just beside Trip.
"What is it?"
"It's just like in my dreams. This can't be happening, Malcolm. I've never been here before, how I could I imagine it in my dreams?"
"All rocks look pretty much the same, perhaps you were just dreaming of something like this."
Trip shook his head. "I remember that exact rock formation. I remember thinking that it looked like a horse's head. This was real."
"Maybe you saw some pictures of the surface. You've been under a lot of stress lately not to mention your flirtation with prescription drugs, who knows what side effects that could have."
"Drugs can't make me predict the future, Malcolm, and you know as well as I do that there aren't any pictures of Thacker, because no one's ever been here before."
"There has to be an explanation," replied Reed, unwilling to accept that anything supernatural had occurred.
"Yeah, well I wish I could think of it, because this is just damn scary." Trip really did look worried. Reed had never known Trip to be alarmist or flighty, in fact down-to-earth was how he would have described his friend. Trip didn't worry without good reason and he wasn't easily scared, which made Reed wonder whether there really was something more to this than overwork and an active imagination.
T'Pol moved over to join them. "The Captain and I will be returning to the city with Targer to finalise negotiations. We have Ensigns Scott and Hooper with us for security, perhaps Mr Reed should remain here while you conduct your repairs."
"I don't need a babysitter, T'Pol," said Trip.
"Protocol does dictate that all away party members should have adequate protection," replied T'Pol. Reed knew that T'Pol shared his concerns about Thacker and the dangers here. She was giving him the opportunity he needed to stay and perhaps poke around the mines a little and see if the Thackerites had anything to hide.
"I think it would be for the best, Commander," added Reed.
"Commander Tusser!" called Krale.
"It's Tucker, sir," replied Trip as he went over to the mining foreman.
"Whatever," said Krale, obviously without really caring about the proper pronunciation of Trip's name. "I was against asking for alien help in the first place, but now that you're here you should at least do some work. The broken machinery is this way."
Krale started off down one of the mineshafts without checking to see whether Trip was following him.
Trip shrugged back at Reed and T'Pol. "I guess I'm going to work. You coming, Malcolm?"
"Wouldn't miss it," said Reed, somewhat ruefully.
Trip gave T'Pol a brief nod and then the two men went to catch up with Foreman Krale.